Featured Services

Toothpaste Timeline

Posted January 22, 2016.

There are many things we should be thankful for during this modern age, including our toothpastes. Why should we be so thankful for the toothpastes we use today? Well, check out what people used to use for toothpaste throughout history.

—5,000 B.C.: The ancient Egyptians invented some of the first toothpastes, but these were powders made from ox-hoof ashes, crushed rock salt, dried iris flowers, pepper, mint, and burnt eggshells.

—1,766 B.C.: The ancient Chinese used abrasive materials for toothpaste, which they flavored with herbal mints, ginseng, and salt

—700 B.C.: The ancient Romans used a urine-based toothpaste made from crushed bone, oyster shells, charcoal, and bark.

—Late 1700’s A.D.: A popular tooth powder was made from burnt bread.

—1800’s: Betel nut was a common ingredients used in toothpastes in England.

—1824: A dentist named Dr. Peabody enhanced the cleaning abilities of toothpaste by adding soap to it.

—1850’s: Chalk was added to toothpaste as an abrasive. It was also during this era that toothpaste was sold as a cream for the first time.

—1873: Colgate would be the first commercial producer of a nice-smelling toothpaste in a jar.

—1892: Dr. Washington Sheffield became one of the first people to put toothpaste in a collapsible tube.

—1914: Companies start to add the fluoride mineral to toothpaste after studies showed how it strengthened teeth against decay.